More than ever, our students face societal and familial pressures to specialize in a sport at an early age, focus intensely on an extracurricular interest, and/or be a prodigy. Many students focus on taking as many honors and Advanced Placement classes as their schedules allow and getting a high GPA. For some students and families, there is an obsession with getting into the “right” college because it leads to the “right” job and “right” life—a neatly wrapped bundle without a single wrinkle. However, even the most skillful wrapping can unravel. In some cases, this can come at a detriment to students’ health.
In a society that is obsessed with early and frequent success, I keep asking myself: How can we reduce student stress? How can the college admission process change? How can we help young people find a sense of peace and confidence? How can we ensure that all students be granted the freedom, curiosity, and courage to sample and find the spark that lights them up—in ninth grade or at any point in their lifetime? Rather than solely praising high achievement and accomplishments, what might it look like if teachers celebrated all students, including the late bloomers, in the classroom?
Making Room for Late Bloomers
In his article, “What It Means to Be a Late Bloomer in Today’s World of Early Success,” Rich Karlgaard states that the term late bloomer in academics “is often explored through the lens of dysfunction or as an abnormality.” I have heard people use words such as “average” and “mediocre” to describe a late bloomer. The definition that resonates with me centers on the idea of a person who eventually finds something interesting enough to pursue. A student who never had much interest in school might get the opportunity one day to take a class or have a job that captivates their attention. And that curiosity leads the student to blossom.School and even life should be a time to explore and discover. My school’s mission centers on the development of the individual student, and we want to do just that. Our teachers design classes and extracurricular activities with all students in mind. Our athletics department added a bowling team this year. Our goal is not to groom future PBA World champions; rather, we hope students have fun, form friendships, and feel peer support. And if it eventually sparks a light in one student, I will celebrate. Another example is our baking club. The mission of the club is for student members to bake for service organizations, but the club might ignite something else in a student—artistic, collaborative, or negotiation skills; patience; or simply even that it is OK to make a mess. In an English class, students can analyze a character in his/her growth of resiliency or even mindset or learn to feel empathy for a character by designing a solution to the character’s problem. As a result, student understands she is not alone in her struggles and that while there is always a solution, it may take time.
There are other ways to encourage students who have not found their path yet:
Push students to take risks and try new things. Our freshman English teachers assign students to book clubs in addition to reading anchor texts in class. The clubs provide students the opportunity to choose from a list of text choices to inspire reading a new genre, author, or a book written in a different era.
Our standardized test prep unit in math provides students with the time and space to figure out if they prefer practicing problems on their own or working with a group of peers, and if they prefer using an app, an online program, or working with pencil and paper.
Share and discuss a new hobby you, as an educator, are trying, or share that your career path hasn’t been traditional. Let students know that you have curiosity and wonder and that it is okay to veer from a starting point. One of my favorite personal stories to share with students is how I voluntarily opted to leave my Ivy League doctoral program before receiving my degree because the program did not excite me. I acknowledge that by diverging from that straight line, my career timeline changed, but I found other options in life that energized me.
Relinquish the one-size-fits-all expectations for students. Treat each student as the individual they are. And remember that students today are not the same as students 10, five, even one year ago. Nor should they be!
Rather than forcing an early bloom, when rich and fertile conditions exist in a school, every student can blossom where and when they are ready.
